1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to water desalination systems, and particularly to a desalination system that has multiple stages and uses heat pipes to recover and recycle heat energy that would otherwise be lost with the waste brine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seawater desalination systems are an important technology in many parts of the world where fresh water is difficult to access. Such desalination systems find their greatest practicality in arid areas that are also adjacent to the sea, as in many parts of the Middle East. However, such systems may find use in other parts of the world as well.
There are several different principles that may be used for the desalination or purification of water. The principle that has generally been found to be most efficient and economical is that of vaporizing the seawater and then condensing the pure vapors while leaving the salt and other contaminants behind as more concentrated brine or a dried mass if all of the water is removed. Nevertheless, there are still inefficiencies in such systems due to the loss of heat in the waste brine.
Thus, a desalination system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.